The Supreme Court today fixed for argument, a Fundamental Rights petition filed by seventeen-year-old schoolboy who had been arrested over the killing of Seya Sadevmini of Kotadeniyava.
A Supreme Court three-judge-bench bench headed by Chief Justice Priyasath Dep fixed the petition for argument on May 14.
In his petition, Welegedara Suranjan Pradeep Senevirathne the 17-year-old school boy alleged that police officers had violated his fundamental rights following his arrest.
On March 24, 2016, the Supreme Court granted leave to proceed with this fundamental right petition.
The petitioner had cited Sujith Udayakumara the OIC of Kotadeniyawa Police Station, Jayantha Athukorala the ASP of Negombo Division, D. U. Lasantha Rathnayake the Chief Inspector of Police Criminal Investigation Department, IGP and the Attorney General as respondents.
The petitioner alleged that while he was under police custody subjected to torture and cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment by police in violation of the Constitution.
He further alleged that he was illegally arrested and detained under police custody without reasonable grounds. He further alleged that police attempted to force a confession out of the petitioner by subjecting him to cruel inhuman degrading treatment and punishment including the threat of killing the petitioner.
He was seeking an order to initiate an independent prosecution or appropriate penal action against the respondents for the violations of Fundamental Rights of the Petitioner.